Book Review: If for Any Reason by Courtney Walsh

If for Any Reason
by Courtney Walsh
Release date: February 3, 2020
Rating: 4.5/5

Wow. I was already a fan of Courtney Walsh, but this story was just so good. Well written and heartwarming. I think it would make a great Hallmark movie.

Emily Ackerman has no choice but to return to the place where her mother died 18 years ago. With her grandfather’s passing, she inherited their house on Nantucket and she needs the money from the sale. Having lost her mother and never known her father, Emily clings to the letters her mother wrote for her in dealing with what life throws at her, especially when it comes to love. When she returns to the island and finds her childhood best friend, Hollis McGuire, still living next door, she is hesitant to reconnect but unable to resist him and his family. Hollis has never felt like he fit in with the rich people on the island. Emily’s mother always encouraged her to be different, so the two of them were always together off on some fearless adventure. Hollis is a retired professional baseball player with his own ghosts and a daughter that he can’t seem to connect with. Can Emily and Hollis get what they want this summer?

Beautifully flawed characters and great storytelling are essential to making me laugh and cry. The premise of a dying mother writing letters to her daughter is not necessarily new but Courtney Walsh made the idea fresh and I loved how she wove in Emily’s mother’s story in the book as well. I will say that I guessed the big mystery almost immediately but only because I was looking for it. It didn’t take away from the story for me at all. This story is about belonging and forgiveness – definitely has faith elements in the story.

Highly recommend for those that enjoy Contemporary Christian Romance with a bit of mystery.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.